A Poison In My Veins
by FiliKiliThorinforever
Summary: Mitchell thought the relationship he had with Anders was unbreakable, but when someone from his past walks back into his life Mitchell needs to figure out how to come back from a quickly deteriorating situation before it's too late.
1. In The Dark

**A/N: Hello everyone! So this is a story I'd written mid last year for another fanfiction site and one that I decided to post over here now. Reason being with Almighty Johnsons having been released in the States and other countries, plus Being Human UK these crossover stories have likely become more popular on here.**

 **This story does have some dark themes in the second chapter however it does work itself out in the end I promise.**

 **The tags for this story (starting from the second chapter) are as following: Hurt/Comfort, Abuse, Attempted Rape (doesn't happen though), blood, a little torture (this is due to being under the non-consensual use of drugs), non-consensual drug use and recovery. If you have any questions about what might be in the second chapter if you're a bit hesitant flick me a message and I'll give you a brief rundown. :)**

 **As much as it breaks my heart I do not own the characters of Almighty Johnsons or Being Human as much as I would like to!**

* * *

Mitchell clasped a hand to his head as he woke, a persistent buzzing screaming in his ears and his head throbbing as though someone had run it over.

He rolled over and gasped, wrenching his eyes open as his bare back met cold tiles. He sat up slowly, mindful of the aches in his body and looked around. For some reason he'd fallen asleep in the kitchen area, the room was pitch black and strangely quiet. He looked in the direction of the fish tank and frowned, he could have sworn the light was on the last time he saw it.

With a shrug he climbed to his feet, wobbling several times on his way up until he was able to grab onto the counter for support. Once he was upright he massaged his head, trying to blink out the black spots he knew were impeding his vision.

"What the hell happened?" He mumbled to himself quietly, flinching violently when his phone on the counter lit up and vibrated with an incoming call.

He frowned at the caller ID: _H_. "Hello?" He asked tentatively, startled when he saw the calendar which read the 19th when he could have sworn yesterday had been the 2nd.

"Mitchell! How is my favourite traitor?"

"Herrick?!" Mitchell asked dumbstruck. "How the fuck did you get this number?"

"Aww come on Mitchell, you gave it to me two weeks ago when we were at the pub!" Herrick exclaimed cheerily.

"I... wasn't at the pub two weeks ago," Mitchell replied slowly, wracking his brains to try and figure out if he had indeed given Herrick his number as he was suggesting. "And I'd never give you my number. Hell, I'd never even sit with you!"

"Mitchell Mitchell Mitchell," Herrick said with a sigh "you did, and I must admit the last two weeks with you have been a blast, I've never seen you so carefree before."

"I would never..." Mitchell whispered, a horrible feeling washing over him and making him feel sick. "What do you mean the last two weeks you've been with me? I haven't seen you since I left Bristol nine months ago."

"Memory loss, huh well that's not surprising. Probably for the best really as we've been on quite the bender -"

"I haven't seen -"

"The drugs seem to work a charm though."

There was silence on both ends of the phone whilst Herrick allowed him to process what he'd just said.

"What do you mean drugs?" Mitchell asked slowly, mentally cursing himself for the waver in his voice.

"Well you see, playing cop is all well and good but when I learned you had found yourself a God and were trying the whole 'domestic life' routine I thought to myself 'Herrick you handsome devil you, if Mitchell can try something new why can't you?' So I delved into playing with drugs, creating something for our kind that's just as good as what our walking blood banks use. The great thing about these ones is that the first stage has to be delivered in a liquid and after that the actual drugs can be injected into a human or another vampire, and we get the drug from their blood when we feed. Ingenious don't you think?"

"I don't feed from people, I'm... I'm clean! I'd never -" Mitchell stuttered out, feeling his stomach twist in disgust at what Herrick was saying.

"Silly me, I almost forgot to mention the main part. The drugs are incredibly good, in fact they're so good they make us lucid, practically blanking a vampires mind and making them open to suggestion." Herrick said as though it was the greatest thing in the world.

Mitchell stood in the middle of the pitch black room with wide eyes and an open mouth. Drugs that left a vampire open to manipulation, drugs that Herrick had used on him?

"What did you make me do?" He growled. He moved away from the counter towards the fish tank to turn the kitchen lights on. He walked past the couch, stumbling when his foot caught on something that shouldn't have been there.

"What didn't we do Mitchell? It was quite the party we had," He heard Herrick say as he made his way over to the light switch, "but that God of yours seems to have snapped you out of its effects faster than I would have liked."

Mitchell flicked the kitchen lights on and looked around, his heart plummeting and he clapped a hand to his mouth.

Not one piece of furniture was standing, the couch had been knocked over, the TV had a fist sized hole through the screen, the bar stools, dining room chairs and stereo were on their side (what was left of the stereo anyway) and the coffee and the dining tables had been snapped in half, glass shards everywhere. He looked to the fish tank which was the only thing in the room that had been left untouched.

"What happened here?" Mitchell whispered horrified.

"Hard to say, but after all that's happened I doubt your God will be causing you any more problems."

"What did you do?!"

"I think the question is Mitchell, what did you do?"

A door down the hall creaked ominously and Mitchell dropped his phone, sprinting towards the noise. "ANDERS!" He screamed, sliding to a halt when he saw the bedroom door hanging by a hinge, a gaping hole in the centre of it. He wrenched the door clean off and fumbled along the wall looking for the switch. His fingers slid over the plastic and he stabbed at the button, falling to his knees when the light came on.

"NO!"


	2. Living A Nightmare

**Warnings - Violence, derogatory language.**

Anders had started noticing the changes in Mitchell two weeks ago. They had gone a bar one night for the first time in a long time and Mitchell had gone to get them another round of drinks. Only he didn't come back for twenty minutes and by that stage Anders had had enough. He headed towards the bar in search of his wayward lover, only to find him sitting at the counter with his arm slung around another man.

"Well it's nice to see you're enjoying yourself. Didn't think to text me and let me know you found someone else?" Anders asked angrily.

"Oh hey Anders! This is Pietro, an old mate of mine from Bristol." Mitchell said happily as he hugged the man tighter. "No need to be so grumpy." He added, pinching the Gods cheek.

Anders slapped Mitchell's hand away. "Yeah well I'm happy for you. I'm going home." He hissed, turning on his heel and stalking off, not missing Mitchell's mutter of "whatever."

Things only escalated from there, Mitchell's erratic behaviour at the beginning had startled and worried him, but three days in he'd had enough. Mitchell had stopped coming home in the evenings, only to crawl into bed around five in the morning and immediately wake the God when he tried to cuddle up to him. Anders would leave the room without a word, getting ready to go into work early with Mitchell on the other side of the bathroom door asking why he kept running away, Anders telling him he had too much work and needed to get a head start. And Anders certainly didn't fail to notice the blood stained clothing left in the bathroom every night.

Things began to get worse, every little thing Anders said escalated into an argument ending with one of them (generally Mitchell) storming out. It was exactly one week after Mitchell's attitude change that the struggling couple hit one of their all-time lows. Anders had had a hard day at the office, having gone in at four am to escape the returning vampire and had ended up staying there until ten at night to meet three different contract deadlines. He opened the door, half asleep and surprised he'd gotten home safely at all only to find an incredibly drunk Mitchell draped across the back of the sofa, humming Gin Wigmore's 'Oh My' off key. The moment Mitchell laid eyes on Anders he rolled off the back of the couch and scrambled to his feet.

"Anders!" He cheered happily, only to have his face immediately cloud over in anger. "You kept me waiting. I hate being kept waiting." He growled.

"Whatever Mitchell. I've had a long day and I don't want to put up with your shit tonight. Go away and be drunk with whoever you've been spending time with lately, I'm not interested." Anders replied wearily as he turned to the kitchen.

To his surprise Mitchell grabbed his arm and yanked him around, his lips pulled into a snarl. "You don't get to fucking dismiss me you selfish prick. I want blood, your blood and I'm going to be buried deep inside you when I get it."

Anders struggled, trying to break the vice like grip Mitchell had on his arm. "You're getting fuck-all from me. Let. Me. GO!"

Mitchell back handed him across the face with his free hand, sending Anders reeling and looking at the vampire in shock. Mitchell lunged at him, trying to yank his trousers down and rip his shirt and tie off all at the same time. The God was terrified, he didn't know what was wrong with Mitchell but he knew if he didn't stop the vampire their coupling would be anything but consensual. Not knowing what else to do he resorted to his martial arts skills by kicking Mitchell in the crotch, slamming his knee into his stomach as the vampire curled in pain and jabbing at his throat before delivering a strong right hook.

Mitchell hit the floor cursing in between heaving coughs, and Anders scrambled for his bag, keys and phone before racing out the door, taking off in his car without pause. The moment he entered his office he collapsed on the couch, trembling and barely holding himself together with only one thought passing through his panicking mind, _Mitchell tried to rape me._

The next day he thought he'd stepped into hell. He'd gone home when Mitchell was meant to be at work to pack several bags. He needed to get away; he couldn't stay here with the monster that his lover had become. When he entered he found Mitchell fast asleep in bed and hovered in the doorway, unsure of what to do. He didn't want to be in the same room as the slumbering brunet but at the same time he needed more than the clothes he had on his back.

He took a deep breath and began moving quietly through his bedroom, pulling out a suitcase and quietly loading in his clothes, phone charger, scrap book and anything else he might need for an extended separation. It was as he zipped up his suitcase that Mitchell stirred.

"Hey babe I didn't hear you come home." The brunet hummed as he rubbed a hand across his eyes.

"Yeah, I uh, I didn't want to wake you. You looked pretty peaceful." Anders lied, barely able to keep the waver out of his voice.

Mitchell opened his eyes and gave him a soft smile. He looked away, his heart clenching at the sight. There was the man he'd fallen for; he still existed so why had he been acting so different the last week?

"Are you going somewhere?" Mitchell asked slowly, his voice wavering slightly with confusion as he spotted the suitcase.

Anders closed his eyes briefly before turning to Mitchell with a false smile on his face. "Yeah, I'm meeting with a potential client out of town for a few days. I'm not sure how long it will take but it'll be easier if I stay there."

"But, you're going to leave me alone? Can't I come with you?" He asked hopefully, rolling out of bed to approach him.

Anders tensed, trying to school his features from tense to fondness. "You can't. I need all my concentration for this and you'll no doubt be a distraction."

Mitchell pouted before draping himself over the God. He nuzzled his face into the crook of Anders neck and placed a soft kiss over his pulse. This was his Mitchell, the one who loved him unconditionally and treated him like an equal, not the one who treated him like he was a belonging. And despite the attention Anders couldn't help but wonder at how long it would take for his Mitchell to disappear to become the cold-hearted beast he'd seen the night before.

"I'll miss you." Mitchell sighed.

"I'll miss you too." Anders replied, tentatively running a hand down the vampires back. At that moment Mitchell's phone rang and Anders took that as his cue to take the suitcase out to the car. He walked back inside, feeling he at least owed Mitchell a goodbye kiss before he disappeared for who knew how long. He entered the bedroom again only to find the vampire standing in the middle of the room, hands hanging limply at his side.

"Mitchell?" He asked slowly.

Mitchell turned to him and he felt his heart race in fear. Mitchell's eyes were pitch black and his fangs were visible when he snarled at the God.

"Oh God" Anders choked out, reversing quickly down the hallway. Mitchell leapt at him, grabbing him around the throat and dragging him closer.

"God won't save you now. You're not going anywhere." Mitchell snarled.

Anders looked defiantly at him. "I don't know what the hell has gotten into you but I don't want any part of it. You and me, we're over."

Mitchell let out a hiss, pulling Anders closer so they were sharing the same air. "You can't leave me."

"Watch me."

Anders used the exact same moves on the vampire as he had the night before, and to his surprise they worked again. In fact Mitchell's lack of reaction was as though Anders had never used them just twelve hours prior. The moment Mitchell loosened his hold Anders kicked out at the vampire, striking him in the side of the head and racing for the door, practically flying down the stairs and into his car. He took off, one hand wrapped around his throat as a sob tore free. He had no idea where he was going; all he knew was that he could never go home.

* * *

When he stopped the car and looked around he realised he'd arrived at Ty's house. Not knowing who else to turn to, he got out and walked to the front door. It was the weekend so it was likely Dawn would be there too, and he realised it was her comfort more than anyone else's that he needed right then.

He knocked on the door, trying unsuccessfully to stop his trembling while he waited. The door opened but Dawn was looking over her shoulder back into the house. She turned her head, the smile falling into a look of shock the moment she laid eyes on her boss.

"Anders..." She whispered, hand covering her mouth as she took in his appearance.

"Hey Dawn." He rasped in reply "can I come in?"

Wordlessly and with tears in her eyes she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside, and as they moved down the hallway he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. A large red mark on his neck, a purpling bruise on his cheek bone and blood shot eyes were the culprits for giving away the state he was in.

Dawn dragged him to the spare room and sat him down, disappearing momentarily but not before wrapping him in a tight hug and placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. He could hear muffled voices in the next room before Dawn, closely followed by Ty entered the room.

"Shit Anders. What the hell happened to you?" Ty asked aghast, freezing to stare at the state of his older brother.

Anders took a sip of the orange juice Dawn had handed him before answering. "Mitchell" was all he was able to say, closing his eyes against the fresh wave of pain the vampires betrayal brought.

Ty dropped to his knees in front of his brother, clasping the back of his neck gently. "What do you mean Mitchell? What happened?"

In a dead voice Anders told them everything, starting from the night at the bar, to the disappearing acts, the bloodied clothing, the arguments and everything that had happened the night before and earlier. When Anders finished Dawn wrapped her arms around him and refused to let him go, and even Ty held him as he tried to work through the shock of his friend's personality change and betrayal.

Despite his best efforts Anders broke down, sobbing silently at the gaping hole now in his chest. He'd been so nervous about entering the relationship, not wanting to give his heart away to the only one who seemed to care, fearful of having it broken like his family had done to him so long ago. But Mitchell had stayed loyal; slowly winning him over and helping him become the version of himself he had buried under drugs, alcohol and sex. And that had only served to leave him wide open for devastation. He'd never make that mistake again.

After several minutes Anders stood up, breaking away from the two and rubbing at his face. "I just... I just don't get it! Everything was fine up until that night!" He covered his face with his hands. "I just don't understand what I did." He whispered brokenly.

"I'm not sure it's anything to do with you Ands. Mitchell loves you, the love you two have - uh had for each other, that doesn't just change overnight. I'd put my money on that friend of his, maybe he has something to do with this."

"I doubt it Ty, maybe this is the universes way of telling me that I'm destined to be alone, that happiness isn't something I deserve."

Dawn stood abruptly and grabbed his face in her hands angrily. "Don't you dare say that! You two were made for each other and you can't give up on what you had, not yet."

"We can't go back to what we had Dawn, and even if he tried he'd have to have a bloody good explanation about what he's done. I'm terrified of looking at him let alone anything else."

Dawn sighed; she'd never seen her boss, her friend looking so broken. It killed her to see how tired and small he'd become. "Why don't you lie down, your exhausted and from what you've just told us you haven't been sleeping properly for a week."

Anders was about to object but the look Ty and Dawn gave him made him sigh in defeat.

"You said your bags were in the car?" At Anders nod Ty continued. "Right, I'll get them and you try to get some sleep, I'll wake you for lunch ok?"

Anders nodded again so Ty and Dawn left the room, Dawn pausing to give him another hug which made the God chuckle weakly.

"We're here for you." She murmured in his ear, smiling when he returned the hug tentatively. The pair made their way to the living room and sat down, the air thick with tension.

"Nothing about this sounds right, sounds like Mitchell." Dawn said finally.

"I know. I need to talk to him and find out what the hell is going on."

"No, not while he's acting the way he is it's too dangerous. Besides, Anders said he has no idea where he goes every night."

"He might not, but we know someone who will." Ty responded, already formulating a plan.

* * *

Whilst Dawn kept Anders occupied with a campaign for a new client Ty met Mike at the bar. After telling Mike what had happened, endured ten minutes of yelling, swearing and repeated _'I told him this would happen'_ Mike agreed to help his brother, not just because he wanted to help Ty but because he wanted to kill the vampire who had dared to lay a finger on his little brother.

Later that night after much planning Ty and Mike used Ullr to track the Vampire down. They found themselves at a busy bar in downtown Auckland and the pair looked around before spotting Mitchell and his companions at a corner table partially hidden in the dark. Mitchell was sitting with two other men, an older blond and a brunet who looked to be the same age as Mitchell, and all three of them had a beautiful woman perched on their laps. There were a couple of other women sat opposite them, and all of them were talking and laughing as though they were good friends. Mike bristled when Mitchell made out with the blond sitting on his lap, Ty having to restrain him and hiss in his ear "we're here to find out who they are, not to confront them!"

Luckily for them Mitchell was side on to the rest of the bar so they were able to slip into a table close behind him without him spotting them, and they kept their backs to him just to be safe. Once they sat down Mike closed his eyes, using the God of the hunts increased hearing to try and hear what they were saying that could give them clues as to the vampires changed behaviour.

* * *

An hour later Ty and Mike left the bar; Mike remaining silent the whole drive back to Ty's where Anders and Dawn were up watching The Hobbit, the day's work lying abandoned on the table. When Anders looked away from the TV and saw Mike walk through the door his emotions moved from confused to angry quickly.

"Why the fuck did you involve him Ty?!" He asked, feeling betrayed for the second time that day.

Ty raised his hands "Mike is the only one of us who could track Mitchell down Ands, and we didn't confront him before you ask." He added hastily to cut his brother off.

"Anders, I can understand why you wouldn't want to say anything about this to me, and I'm not going to say 'I told you so' because as tempting as it is I have to agree with Ty, something's not right. Mitchell's attitude to you can't have just changed."

Anders looked at Mike as though he was trying to judge the honesty of his brother. "So you found him?" he asked eventually.

Ty and Mike sat down on the coffee table in front of Anders and Dawn. "Yeah we did, and he wasn't alone." Ty said hesitantly.

"He was with a group Anders." Mike said quietly. "Two males and about five females, they were all pretty cosy." He paused, watching Anders reaction as the information sunk in.

Anders looked at Mike without a trace of emotion, worrying the other three immensely. "Is that all?" He asked.

"No. I've been working on Ullr, trying to use him for things other than games and I've found that when tracking it's not just my sense of where someone is that increases but also my smell and hearing. There was quite a bit of noise at the bar and I'm relatively new to using this but I was able to pick up a few things."

Mike rattled off the bits of conversation that he'd heard as well as the names mentioned. "I think one may have been Peter and the other might have been Carrek? Or Herrick? I'm not sure, but he was blond and sounded kinda nasally."

Anders felt his jaw go slack. "Oh God," he gasped as he jumped to his feet and clutched at his head "Herrick, he's here?!"

"Who is he?"

"He's the one who turned Mitchell into a vampire, the one that Mitchell ran from nine months ago to try be free of him!"

"I'm so sorry Ands but the way they were all acting makes me believe he might be rethinking his decision to leave this Herrick guy." Ty said sadly.

"Yeah well it's not the only thing he's changed his mind on apparently." Anders replied angrily. He rubbed a hand over his face before looking at Ty and Dawn. "Any chance I can stay here for a while? Just until I can get the rest of my stuff and find my own place."

"So that's it then? It's really over?" Dawn asked sadly.

"It was over the moment he let Herrick back into his life. I don't want him in my life ever again. I can't handle it." Anders replied softly.

"You can stay as long as you like Ands, and I don't want you going to the office, either of you." Ty said looking between Dawn and his brother. "You call your clients and tell them you're working from home and will find a place to have appointments, I don't care what you tell them but I won't let you go back to the office, not when I've seen how unstable he is."

Anders and Dawn nodded reluctantly before Anders said good night, leaving the three to sit there in saddened silence. And unknowingly to anyone but herself Dawn wept quietly in bed for the destroyed love and faith Anders had gained over the last nine months, and knowing that the person he had become since finding love had died.

* * *

The rest of that week had passed slowly. Dawn had gone in the next morning to gather all their client information and anything else they would need, calling their clients to inform them of the temporary office shift to Ty's home. Anders had become just a shell of who he had been, barely sleeping longer than a couple of hours and working himself to the point he'd collapse as he'd forget to eat. He hadn't once mentioned drugs or alcohol because not only had Ty banned them from his home, but because he wanted to suffer, to punish himself for thinking he deserved happiness. And it took several days for them to figure out what he was doing before unsuccessfully trying to stop his self-destructive behaviour.

To Ty's annoyance and Anders pain Mitchell started seeking Ty out after hundreds of ignored texts and pleading phone calls to Anders. He first tried to get information by text, then unanswered phone calls until finally one day Ty had been out for a run and almost collided with the vampire.

Mitchell grabbed Ty's arm, tightening his grip and pulling him so they were face to face. "Ty! There you are why have you been ignoring my texts? I can't find Anders anywhere and I'm really worried."

Ty pried the hand off his arm and glared at the vampire. "Don't you dare pretend to care about him, especially after what you did! You'll never see my brother again!" He hissed.

Mitchell took a step back as though he'd been slapped. "What the hell are you talking about? I haven't seen him for almost two weeks! And I certainly haven't done anything to him!"

Ty frowned suddenly, looking at the vampire intently. The look on Mitchell's face appeared to be genuine surprise and hurt, expressions and words that didn't suit what Anders had told him or what he'd witnessed himself.

"Please Ty I have no idea what you're talking about." Mitchell begged, tears appearing in his eyes as he looked at the God desperately.

Ty deflated slightly in the face of his friends' pain. "If you want answers you should talk to your friend Herrick, or perhaps the blond bimbo you had your tongue wrapped around a few days back." He said as he went to walk away. Before he started running again he turned back to the confused and hurt vampire. "As for Anders? He's alive, but that's the only good thing I can say." And with that he took off without waiting for a reply.

* * *

And that's how everything came to a head that night. Anders had been with a client later than anticipated so Ty hadn't been able to tell him of his encounter before he and Dawn went out for the night. It was 9pm by the time Anders got back, forcing himself to sit down to reheat last night's leftovers. As he was eating his phone rang with an unknown number.

"Hello?" He asked with a frown.

"Anders! How lovely to talk to you again!" A nasally voice drawled.

Anders dropped his fork with a clatter. "Herrick?!" He asked in disbelief. "How'd you get this number?"

"From a vampire you might know."

"I don't have anything to do with him anymore."

"Yet apparently it's not mutual. You, Anders Johnson are becoming an incredible pain in my ass -"

"Maybe it's the wooden stake I shoved up there."

"Ooh feisty! I can see why Mitchell likes you."

"Well it's probably the only thing about me he likes considering what he did, that and the fact he's with you again."

There was a loud laugh that rang through the line before stopping abruptly. "Aw little Anders, do you really think Mitchell's with me willingly? That bastard has no idea what's happening half the time, the drugs I've created make sure of that. Everything he does is unwillingly but because of you, his feelings for you are beginning to break through the haze that he's in and I can't have that."

"You've been... How long have you been drugging him?!"

"Everything starts with a drink."

"The bar." Anders breathed, now standing in the middle of the kitchen in disbelief. "This is all because of you."

"Give the man a prize!"

"I'm going to make you pay for this you bastard, and I'm going to make sure you suffer until your begging me to end it." Anders hissed, ending the call. It took him a spilt second to decide what to do before he snatched up his jacket and keys and sprinted out the door, only one destination in mind.

In his hotel room Herrick sat on his bed. "We'll see about that." He chuckled, making another phone call.

Anders stood in front of his apartment for the first time in a week. It was a Saturday night so all his neighbours would be out partying, hopefully no one being home wouldn't be a bad thing. Anders hurried to his door, letting himself in before locking it behind him and noticed that the stereo was blasting in the background. He walked into the lounge and there he was, Mitchell standing in the middle of the living room floor unmoving save for the slow rising and falling of his chest. If the vampire had been drugged as Herrick had said, then he had to try and get him to snap out of it, save him before he was lost to Anders forever.

"Mitchell?" He asked hesitantly as he moved closer. "Mitchell list-"

Mitchell turned and backhanded him across the face with a force so strong it sent Anders flying into the bar stools at the counter. Anders let out a cry of pain as the stools fell around him, groaning at the pain that flared in his back and head. He struggled to his feet, gasping as Mitchell's hand found his throat and dragged him up off the floor. Anders looked into the black eyes terrified as he struggled for breath, Mitchell's hand slowly tightening around his neck.

Anders gasped "Mitch you need to-"

"No! You worthless piece of shit! I knew you'd come crawling back to me like a pathetic slut." Mitchell hissed, his fingers digging into Anders throat. "I caught you hook, line and sinker like the desperate fuck you are. Who could ever love a broken, fucked up being like yourself huh?"

"Mitchell this isn't you!" Anders whimpered, trying to prise the cold fingers off his throat. He knew this couldn't be Mitchell talking; it had to be the drugs. It didn't mean the words didn't hurt though.

"That's where you're wrong Anders Johnson. It is me." He cooed evilly before throwing him bodily over the couch where he landed on the glass coffee table, causing it to shatter and collapse beneath him.

Anders let out a sob as he felt pain erupt in his side from the sturdy wood. He placed his hands on the ground, crying out in pain as the glass cut into his palms. Mitchell stood there with a smirk on his face, watching as the God untangled himself from the glass and wood as he stood on shaky legs.

"What's the matter? Don't like playing rough?"

"Mitchell please, this isn't you. Herrick is drugging you! You love m-" he moved quickly, stumbling with a limp to the dining table as Mitchell leapt forward, smashing his fist through the TV and whirling on him in anger.

"Come here little God, I won't hurt you." Mitchell called mockingly.

Anders glowered at him, so he was unprepared for the burst of speed Mitchell put on before he planted a foot in Anders chest sending him into the wall with a sickening crunch, Anders screaming in pain as he felt more than one rib crack. He slumped to the ground, arms immediately wrapping around his chest, panting heavily.

Mitchell stalked forward, grabbing his chin roughly before dragging him back into a sitting position. He hissed in Anders face, noticing with satisfaction the Gods eyes were rolling in pain. "Let's see how bad the damage is then shall we?" He grabbed the shirt and pulled, tearing it open. He revelled in the cries of pain falling from the Gods mouth as he poked and prodded his ribs. "Hmm, slowly getting there." He mused.

He sat back on his haunches, admiring the injured God before him when an idea sprang to mind. "You're a whore, Anders Johnson, a real cock slut. But you're too pretty and you can just pick up whoever you like. Well I'm going to make sure nobody looks at you again. That the only person you'll want to be known by is me." He cooed, stroking a thumb across the God's cheek before slashing his nails across his face. Mitchell dug his nails diagonally across Anders face, his nails avoiding his eyes but ensuring there would definitely be permanent scars across his forehead, nose, lips and cheeks.

Anders screamed in pain as the blood welled quickly, slamming his fist into the side of Mitchell's head before crawling away and crying out in agony as his body protested every movement. Now he wished his neighbours were home because they could have helped him. Then again with the music blaring in the background they were unlikely to have heard anything. It was only adrenaline he was running on now, the pain threatening to make him blackout. He'd lost Mitchell, but more importantly Mitchell had lost himself. He doubted very much they'd be able to go back to the way they were, what with the guilt Mitchell would feel and the strong possibility his own body wouldn't be able to withstand the torture for much longer. He limped quickly towards the couch, wanting to put some distance between the two of them before he went for the door.

But he was too slow. From the ground Mitchell grabbed his arm, dragging his nails down as pulled away. Anders screamed as he stumbled backwards onto the glass, shreds of skin hanging off his arms whilst blood began to ebb quickly downwards, dripping off his fingertips onto the carpet. Mitchell stood quickly, the blood invading his senses driving him into a frenzy as he ran to the couch, hissing as the God clambered over it and caused it to tip over because of his force and weight. He watched as the God scrambled to the fish tank, switching the tank light off before he stumbled to the opposite wall, straight for the –

"NO!" Mitchell roared.

It was too late; the house plunged into darkness as Anders killed the lights.

Mitchell hissed, waiting for his eyes to adjust, but all he could hear was the blasted stereo he'd switched on to drown the noises he knew would be made that night. He ran towards the stereo, tripping on the couch and cursing loudly. When he reached it he wrenched it away from the wall, shattering it on the ground. The noise cut off just as he heard a door slam shut. He turned his head towards the direction it had come and growled. Of course the God would be able to find his bedroom in the dark; it was his house after all.

He stalked towards the bedroom, not bothering with the lights as his vision had adjusted. The smell of the God, both his blood and his fear was rolling in waves under the closed door and filling his nose and mouth with the tantalizing smell. He pushed the door, only to find it locked. He growled; nothing was going to keep him from his prize tonight. He punched a hole through the wood, reaching through it to unlock it. The whimper he heard made him moan in anticipation, truly, he'd never had to work for his prey like he had tonight and it had made him want to redo it all over again.

He shoved the door, only to find it still wouldn't open. It was the final straw, he was going to teach Anders for leaving him and he was going to show the God exactly who owned him. He took a step back and kicked the door, sending whatever had been blocking it flying and caused all but one of the hinges to rip out of the wall. He stalked into the room with deliberate slowness, inhaling deeply at the smell of the God making him pant in anticipation. He heard a sharp intake of breath and grinned, he was going to enjoy this.

Anders heard Mitchell step into the room and let out an involuntary whimper. He stood in the corner trembling from pain and fear. His body was on fire and he just wanted it all to end, knowing no one could help him now.

He waited for the inevitable, and sure enough seconds later he had Mitchell's hand grabbing the back of his neck, yanking his head backwards as fangs were dragged over his neck, cutting shallowly but just as painfully as every other wound he had. The next thing he knew Mitchell grabbed him and tossed him onto the bed. He bounced, crying out as it caused his cracked ribs and several other broken bones to shift.

Mitchell crawled over him, digging his nails into his chest and slowly dragging downwards causing blood to well up and trickle through the golden hair, Mitchell dragging his tongue over each wound and lapping everything up. Anders felt his mouth open, screaming in silent agony.

The last thing he felt before he succumbed to nothingness was Mitchell divesting him of all his clothing save for his boxers, and his mouth latching onto his neck, teeth piercing the soft flesh like they had so many times before and thought that if this was to be the end, he was glad it was in the arms of the one he loved.

* * *

Mitchell revelled in the taste of the blood, feeling it flood his mouth and cascade down his throat. The moment he took his first swallow a wave of nausea hit him. He pulled back, shaking his head quickly. Something about this didn't feel right, like something was wrong but he couldn't quite place his finger on what it might be. Following a mental pull he ducked his head, allowing to liquid to fill his mouth once more and making him pull away yet again when pain wracked his brain.

He growled; this was his prize, what he'd worked so hard for. But it wasn't, was it? Something seemed out of place, the body, whose ever it was, was lying too still to be a good thing. He latched onto the throat for a third time, filling his mouth as much as possible before being forced away by a sudden heat that ravaged his body and an excruciating pain that burst right behind his eyes. He fell off the bed, climbing to his feet before he stumbled out of the room, barely noticing the door swing shut miserably behind him nor the darkness. He swallowed against the bile that had risen in his throat before sinking to his knees, welcoming the coolness of the tiles beneath his burning body before he knew no more.


	3. Our Cup

Mitchell stared wide eyed at the bed from his position on the floor, grief and horror tearing through him at the sight. He stood and approached the bed slowly, a tortured cry escaping his lips as he looked down on his lover. Anders was lying spread eagled on the white sheets which were becoming crimson from the blood that was slowly trickling from the deep gouges that littered his body. Mitchell noticed the bruises and swelling all over the God's body and gently touched the slightly flatter chest, choking on bile when he felt the ribs shift under his fingers. The God was as pale as snow, and when he laid a shaking hand on his beloved's forehead he recoiled, a cry escaping as he felt how much cooler he was than normal.

"Anders… Oh God what did I do?!" he whimpered, placing two fingers to the uninjured side of his throat to feel for a pulse. He sobbed in relief when he felt a faint fluttering, tumbling out of the room and diving for his phone that he'd left on the living room floor. With shaking hands he unlocked it and scrolled through his contacts, grateful for copying all the Gods and Goddesses contacts to his phone so long ago. He tapped on a number and held the phone to his ear as he ran back to the room.

He fell to his knees on the floor next to Anders head, trailing his fingers through his hair as he tried to make pointless soothing noises between shaky breaths, knowing that with each ring his lover was slowly slipping away.

"Hello?"

"Michele!" Mitchell cried, his head snapping up from watching Anders in relief.

"What the fuck do you want? Mike's told me what-"

"Michele! Please I need your help!"

"I'm not doing anything for you, you monster!"

"Michele please!" Mitchell begged as he broke into sobs, "It's Anders, he- I… please I need you to bring Yggdrasil!" He whimpered, tears finally spilling free as he begged the Goddess to save Anders life. "He's lost so much blood." He whispered.

"Where are you?"

"The a-apartment-"

"I'll be right there." She hung up, leaving Mitchell to tremble on the floor as he clutched Anders chilled limp hand.

* * *

He had no idea how much time passed. It could have been minutes or it could have been hours. All he knew was that he had to sit there and watch the only person he had every truly loved fade with every passing moment. He tried to think about what Herrick had said, about being with him for two weeks, but he was panicking about Anders too much to think about any of the broken or hazy images that flashed in his mind.

He was dragged from his muddled thoughts when a hand pounded on the front door, before an argument and a key scraping in the lock gave way to a combination of voices calling out one name.

"Anders!"

Mitchell tried to get their attention, but found that he couldn't use his voice. It didn't matter because he suddenly heard a series of loud curses followed by the pounding of someone's feet as they ran, the rest following quickly behind.

Mike burst into the room first and took in the scene in front of him. Mitchell was crouched on the floor, dried blood around his mouth with messy hair, tears streaming down his face from wide eyes, pale and trembling like a leaf in a storm. And Anders, his brother lying motionless, bloodied and bruised on the bed in only his boxers with blood trickling down and pooling around him from what looked like claw and bite marks.

"You son of a BITCH!" Mike roared as he surged forwards, grabbing Mitchell by the hair and throwing him away from the bed.

"Mike!" Ty called desperately, clambering onto the bed clutching his brothers' hand as he chanted a mantra of "No no no, wake up Anders" repeatedly.

"I don't know if I can do this." Michele said she stood next to Anders, grasping Yggdrasil tightly with one hand and laying the other on his chest.

"Yes you can! Just concentrate Michele!" Mike urged before turning back on the vampire. "You! You did this you monster!"

"Please I didn't know! I was being drugged-"

"I should stake you now!"

"No Mike!" Ty yelped, leaping off the bed and jumping between the God and Vampire in an effort to stop Mike from following through.

"I told you this would happen! When they got together I TOLD you this would be the outcome!"

"As much as I want to believe you Mike, you also agreed that nothing about this seemed right!"

"Well I was wrong then, this is exactly what it seemed-"

"No Mike! I still can't believe Mitchell would change as quickly as he did, and-" Ty turned to look at the vampire as he only just registered what he'd said. "Wait you said you were drugged?"

Mitchell nodded rapidly, sobbing as he watched the wounds on Anders slowly start to close "It-" He gasped for breath before turning his attention back to the murderous God and the one stopping him from getting killed.

"It was Herrick! He's here in Auckland, said I've been with him the last two weeks but I haven't! I've been with Anders the whole time! And someone changed the calendar because it can't be the 19th, it was the second yesterday and I don't know what's happening!" He broke down, crashing to his knees as he buried his face in his hands, cringing at the feeling of dried blood on his hands.

Mike watched Mitchell cry with his mouth curled in disgust. This monster who almost killed his brother was acting as though he deserved sympathy, but in his eyes all he really deserved was a stake through the chest. As much as his fingers itched to do just that, he knew it wasn't his place to do so. That job solely rested with Anders and he would make sure his brother did it, although he doubted it would take much convincing.

Ty looked at the sobbing vampire hesitantly, eventually taking pity on him. He crouched down and wrapped an arm around him and to his surprise Mitchell curled into him, clutching at his jacket as though it was the only thing that could anchor him. This was the Mitchell Ty remembered, the friendly, loving, heart on his sleeve Mitchell, not the cruel, abusive, cheating Mitchell that he'd seen and heard about over the last two weeks. A loud crack from the bed as Anders ribs shifted into place echoed through the room making them all cringe and Mitchell whimper. Ty could see how stressed the vampire was becoming so he grabbed one of his hands gently.

"Come on Mitch, let's leave Michele to do her thing." He whispered as he helped him to his feet.

Mitchell nodded and let Ty guide him from the room, looking back to the bed only to have a fresh wave of tears break free as he saw how small and vulnerable Anders looked. And it was his fault.

"Ty-" Mike growled.

"Help Michele, we'll be fine." Ty said, cutting him off with a glare. Mitchell was already suffering for something that, by the sounds of things he had no control over. He didn't need Mike adding to the pile of self-hate he knew Mitchell was quickly building.

Mike glowered at his younger brother before turning on his heel and going to Anders side whilst Ty gently guided Mitchell from the room towards the living room. Mitchell froze when they got there, trembling as he looked over the carnage he'd caused. Ty stood next to him and bit his lip as he hadn't had the chance to look over the room before Ullr led them to Anders, but now that he could he kind of wished he hadn't.

"Well," Ty said, clearing his throat awkwardly "you could say you both got a bit carried away during sex?" Ty tried to joke, only to mentally berate himself instantly as Mitchell let out a sob and hurried to the kitchen. He leaned against the island before sliding down, pulling his legs to his chest and wrapping his arms around them as he pressed his face to knees, silent sobs wracking his body.

"Shit." Ty cursed quietly. He followed the vampire and sat next to him, tentatively wrapping an arm around his shoulders and when Mitchell didn't flinch away he hugged him gently, offering him the physical comfort he knew he'd need. Ty waited quietly for some time, just letting Mitchell come to terms with what had happened on his own. Eventually Mitchell took a deep shuddering breath and lifted his head, scrubbing at his eyes furiously.

"You ok?" Ty asked, knowing how dumb it sounded yet needing to ask all the same.

"No." Mitchell replied bluntly. He sighed, looking at his friend apologetically. "I'm sorry, I know your trying to help. I just... Everything I've ever promised Anders, about never hurting him, never scaring him and loving him with every fibre of my being, it's all been completely shattered in one night. I don't know what to do Ty; I don't think he'll ever forgive me for this." His admitted fear came out as a whisper as he pressed the back of his head against the cupboard under the island.

"What happened Mitchell? What do you remember?"

"I don't know-"

"Yes! Yes you do Mitchell. It's all in there, it might be hazy but it has to be in there." Ty said angrily.

"Close your eyes, take a deep breath and focus on my voice." He instructed.

Mitchell looked at his friend warily but quickly shut his eyes when Ty glared at him. He inhaled deeply, and knew if he'd had a beating heart he would have been able to feel it slow. As it was the oxygen helped him calm his mind, and Ty's voice gave him something to focus on.

"Alright," Ty said quietly. "Think back tw- uh think back to that night at the bar." Ty said, correcting himself on Mitchell's timeline. He still couldn't understand how someone could forget two weeks but it wasn't important right then, what was important was trying to figure out how Mitchell had been drugged and how to stop it happening again. He knew everything that had happened since that night so it was a matter of comparing his information to Mitchell's version.

Mitchell thought back to the bar, the last memory he had before waking up on the kitchen floor. The air had been thick with the smell of alcohol and greasy food; there was music and talking in the background which was more of a buzz then actual discernible noise. In his memory he looked up from his burger to see Anders next to him, looking at him with a small smile on his face. He watched Anders lean forwards as his tongue darted out, licking up the tomato sauce that had collected at the corner of the vampire's mouth and sending a shiver down his spine before it dipped inside his mouth quickly.

"What do you see?" Ty asked quietly, jolting Mitchell from his thoughts.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. This was something he wanted to keep to himself. "Uh just people, Anders eating his burger next to me."

"Alright, what happens next?"

What did happen next? He was back at the bar, stealing a chip from Anders plate whilst the God was busy kissing him. He watched Anders pull away and slap his hand as he munched on the stolen chip with a grin. A man over Anders shoulder caught his attention. Mitchell frowned, his eyes squeezed shut as his mind took him to the bar, standing next to the man he'd spotted. Pietro, a vampire who enjoyed hunting and torturing his prey before feeding, but he was certainly not an old friend. Yet here he was, buying Mitchell a drink. The moment the beer flooded his mouth he could recognise the taste difference in the drink.

Mitchell's eyes snapped open. "It was the drink." He realised.

"What was?" Ty asked with a frown.

"How Herrick drugged me. There was a vampire at the bar, Pietro. I've met him once or twice, he's bad news. He brought me a drink when I went to find out why he was there." Mitchell said slowly.

"So what, he put the drugs in your drink when you were in front of him?" Ty asked incredulously.

Mitchell frowned at Ty. He had a point; he'd stayed far back enough to see both his hands and his face. Besides Pietro had ordered –

Mitchell smacked his head against the cupboard in exasperation. "The waitress, of course." He looked at Ty and elaborated. "I didn't realise at the time, but I've met the waitress who poured the beers once before. She's one of Herrick's, uh call-girls you could say. He plants them in places where he has a target: human, vampire, werewolf it doesn't matter, and they're used to make things easier for him when he goes for them. She poured the beers -"

"And slipped the drugs in because they knew you'd be focussed on your friend and not her." Ty finished. "Ok we know how you were drugged the first time, but drugs aren't designed to last, and I doubt it's any different for vampires. You should have been fine after 24 hours at least."

Mitchell closed his eyes again and frowned in concentration, but was unprepared for the images that suddenly flooded his mind. Most of them were hazy at best but he understood enough to make him want to be sick. His hands shot up and tangled in his hair harshly as he saw the girl from the bar strip in front of him, make out with him, inject herself with something before offering her arm for him to feed from where he could feel his mind go blank as the drug-laced blood surged through his system. He remembered feeding from the girls Herrick brought to him, fucking them before draining them near-dry and then going home. Home, where Herrick would stop him before he left to whisper in his ear lies about Anders, about how he needed to learn his place at Mitchell's feet and that only 'lessons' would teach him.

And the memories with Anders in them were the clearest. Returning in the early hours of the morning and pushing himself onto the God. He cringed as Anders cringed and pulled away from him, felt the pain of the slap he delivered to the God as though he himself had been slapped. And the previous night's memories came flooding back so quickly and crystal clear he leapt up and vomited in the sink.

Ty watched the vampire in concern as he reacted to unseen events, and jumped up in alarm as Mitchell lurched forwards and curled over the basin. He grabbed the wild curls and held them off his face as he vomited violently, turning his head away from the crimson contents that splattered in the sink. Eventually Mitchell coughed before spitting out whatever remnants were in his mouth, taking a deep shuddering breath before wiping a hand across his sweaty forehead.

"Water?" Ty asked gently.

Mitchell nodded, trying to squash the feelings of self-hate that were rising up like a snake. He took the glass of water Ty offered and rinsed his mouth out.

"I tortured him." He whispered; devastation clear in his voice. Ty stilled, he could tell from the carnage that something pretty bad had gone down but he never expected those words to come out of his friend's mouth.

"Herrick called me before Anders arrived here, told me to make him suffer, show him who he belonged to and his place, make him regret trying to leave to the point no-one would ever want to look at him again except me. And I did it, no questions asked, no hesitation about his orders I just followed him blindly like a fucking sheep! I almost killed him!"

"But you didn't! He's alive, Michele will reverse the damage and you can work on fixing your relationship. But Mitchell I need to know how this Herrick dude kept drugging you, just in case he gets to you again."

"Needles. They were injecting the female vampires or willing humans with the drugs, I'd feed from them and the drugs would enter my system. I think I was feeding every night, that's how Herrick kept me in control."

"Why should we believe you?" Mikes voice cut in scathingly.

Mitchell and Ty turned quickly to see Mike and Michele glaring at them.

"Anders is he-?"

"Answer my question. Why should we believe you? I've been hesitant about you from the beginning, and what you've done to my brother only confirms what I believed originally. Drugs sound like a convenient excuse to try and get away with abuse." Mike snapped.

"There's nothing I can say that will make you believe me. You could try and take some of my blood to test if it made you feel any better but I doubt you'd find anything. You can check my phone logs even to see that he did call me. Please, how is he?" He asked again, this time looking at Michele.

"He'll live." Michele replied grudgingly. "I was at the hospital when you called so I grabbed what I thought I'd need, especially as you kept rambling about him losing blood. I've hooked him up to a temporary IV, and I brought a few bags of blood so hopefully I can bring his blood volume back up."

"Are there any scars?" Mitchell asked in a small voice.

Michele stared at the vampire long and hard before replying. "I had no issues using Yggdrasil on him, trust me I've been forced to heal worse. Physically he's fine; there'll be no scars to show what happened. Mentally however, that scarring will run deep, the nature of his injuries combined with the disaster zone we're currently standing in, I wouldn't blame him if he never forgave you." Her tone was matter-of-fact and it made Mitchell cringe.

"I want to see him, please. I need to see he's ok." The vampire whispered to Ty, tears brimming in his eyes yet again.

"No! No you aren't getting anywhere near my brother you bastard!"

"Mike -"

"No Ty! He says he was drugged but can't prove it, he says some vampire buddy of his did this to him but we haven't seen concrete evidence that this Herrick even ex-"

A shrill ringing from Mitchell's pocket interrupted Mike's tirade. Mitchell pulled his phone out and looked at the screen, blanching at the caller ID.

"It's Herrick!" Mitchell hissed in terror, looking at Ty for help. He was having trouble focussing as he just wanted to get back to the man he loved, not stand around arguing with someone who would never accept him.

"You want answers Mike? Now we can all get them. Put the phone on speaker Mitchell."

Mitchell nodded before swiping the green phone icon, activating the speaker.

"Mitchell where are you? You're late for our meeting. Deal with your bitch then get your ass down here!" Herrick's voice immediately yelled angrily down the line.

"Herrick you bastard! What did you make me do?" Mitchell yelled back, trying his hardest to not shatter the phone that was clutched tightly in his hand.

There was a pause before a single "ah" was heard from the other end.

"I take it you're definitely back to normal Mitchell?" Herrick asked.

"You're damn right he's back to normal you prick! What the fuck is wrong with you?! What the hell have you got against my brother?" Ty hissed, snatching the phone from Mitchell angrily.

"A Johnson, how cute. Tell me, how many others are there with you Mitchell?" Herrick asked curiously.

"His brothers and their healer." Mitchell answered in confusion.

There was a muffled curse before Herrick's voice rang through the receiver clearly once more. "Well isn't this embarrassing! Caught with my hand down my pants. The 'issue' I have with your brother little Johnson, is that he is currently standing between me and my pet, and I want him back."

"I'M NOT YOUR PET!" Mitchell yelled at the phone.

"I will get you back Mitchell, and if that means killing every last one of that family of Gods then that's what I'll do. This isn't over."

Mike stepped forward, fury etched on his face as he looked at the phone. "I'm going to hunt you down you bastard for hurting my brother and threatening my family, and I'm going to put a stake through you slowly just so I can hear you scream."

"Try and catch me." Herrick taunted before hanging up.

The room was silent, the Gods and vampire looking at each other. Eventually Mike broke the silence. "Michele you head on home, I'm going to get grandpa and we're going to find this son of a bitch. Ty you stay here and look after Anders."

Michele nodded but Ty spoke up, arms folded across his chest and looking thunderous. "You're not going anywhere Mike until you apologize."

Mike glared at his younger brother "why should I?"

"Because that phone call has just confirmed that Mitchell had no control over what he did. Mitchell is as much of a victim of this as Anders was."

"Oh yeah, because Mitchell looks like he was torn to shreds." Michele snapped viciously.

Mitchell looked at the ground, his shoulders hunching up trying to deflect their harsh words. Why couldn't they just understand he had no control, that he would never willingly lay a finger on Anders unless it was lovingly?

"Look I know what he did was bad, but I know Mitchell, I know how much he loves Anders! Yes what happened was awful, but you can't blame him when he had no control! This wasn't his fault!" Ty pleaded in frustration. "I've forgiven him, you just need to stop looking from behind your own prejudices and see the situation for what it really is."

Mike exhaled heavily through his nose, glaring at his younger brother and the vampire that looked like he was trying to fade into the appliances. He had managed to move past his fears of Mitchell after he saw how protective of Anders he was, especially when Mitchell was there for Anders when he wasn't. But after learning about what Mitchell had been doing recently, and seeing Anders laying there as still as death had brought all those fears flying to the front of his mind and engulfed all rational thought like a raging inferno.

"If Anders forgives him, then I'll think about it." Mike snapped before grabbing Michele's arm and leading her to the door the door slamming shut and leaving silence in its wake. Mitchell's shoulders dropped but he refused to lift his head which didn't go unnoticed by Ty.

"It'll all be alright Mitchell, it'll work itself out you'll see." He said gently, placing a hand on the miserable vampires shoulder.

Mitchell nodded, unable to believe Ty's words as right then it was too hard. Too much had happened and if Anders refused to even look at him, let alone speak to him he didn't know if he'd be able forgive himself, or even hold onto the will to live. A whimper from the bedroom drew their attention and Ty and Mitchell hurried to the room. Ty held Mitchell back before he entered first, unsure of how his brother would react if it was his lover-turned-attacker he saw first.

"Hey Ands." Ty whispered gently, making sure he stayed in clear view so as not to startle the weakened blond.

"T-Ty?" Anders mumbled; wincing as freshly healed wounds tingled painfully.

"Yeah it's me. You're ok, you're safe now."

"W-what happened?" Anders stammered, swallowing to try and force his throat to work again. "Where's M-Mitchell?"

Mitchell stepped through the door, moving slowly towards the bed. "I'm right here love." He said, voice barely above a whisper.

Anders jumped the moment Mitchell entered the room, and he didn't miss the look of grief that flashed across the vampires face. He couldn't help but feel guilty that he'd put that look there despite Mitchell being the one who had attacked him. Blue eyes searched brown in the silence that had fallen over the room, what either were looking for it was only for them to know. Eventually Mitchell broke the silence, unable to keep quiet any longer.

"Anders I-"

"I know Mitchell. I know you had no control over what happened. I know about Herrick and the drugs, and I can see you're sorry so you don't need to say it." The God said quietly, cutting the vampire off immediately.

"Yes Anders I do." Mitchell said, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at the man he loved with all his being, the man he thought he would lose just a short time ago. "I promised you when you gave me your heart that I would never hurt you whilst I still drew breath, and I've broken that promise I don't know how many times because of those drugs. I should have been stronger but I wasn't, and I understand if you don't want to be with me anymore, but please, just tell me that you don't... I don't think I can handle it if you h-ha-"

"Mitchell!" Anders said as sternly as he could whilst weak. None of them had missed the fact Anders hadn't grabbed his hand reassuringly like he normally did. "Mitchell I don't hate you, I could never hate you. Herrick called me and told me what he was doing, that's why I came here to confront you. Not my brightest move but I wanted to try and save you."

Mitchell fell to his knees beside the bed and reached out to touch Anders hand, however when the blond pulled his hand away Mitchell choked on his breath and hurried from the room.

"Mitchell! Wait!" Anders coughed before looking at his brother desperately who had been sitting quietly. "Ty can you-?"

Ty was already on his feet to stop the fleeing brunet. He grabbed Mitchell's elbow and swung him towards him. "Mitchell listen to me! Listen to him! You didn't give him a chance to finish what he wanted to say." The God hissed.

"He flinched from me Ty" Mitchell whispered, heartbreak clear on his face. "He won't even let me touch him, how can I even try and make it up to him?"

"This is Anders we're talking about. He never lets his opinion go unsaid about anything you know that. And he hasn't given his opinion yet so I know for a fact he's got more to say. He loves you Mitchell, more than anything even if that's hidden under pain and fear right now. Fight for him, for the both of you. Don't give up on him." Ty pleaded, waiting with baited breath until the vampire nodded in surrender. Relieved Ty led the vampire back to the bedroom where they found Anders sitting up and by the looks of things attempting to climb out of bed.

"Anders!" Ty gasped in alarm "you need to be lying down! You almost died before!"

"I need Mitchell" The blond growled back, only slumping in relief when Mitchell stepped forwards.

"Do you mean that?" Mitchell asked unsure.

"John," Anders said gently "I will always need you, until my last breath I will always want you. But you have to understand that I can't just forget what happened tonight, I need time alone to recover, to remind myself it wasn't really you. I love you John Mitchell, but right now I'm afraid of you too. I just need time. Can you give me that?"

Mitchell swallowed dryly. "You want me to leave?" He asked; only to frown when Anders shook his head.

"No Mitchell, I'm not going to kick you out of our home. I'm already set up at Ty's so it makes sense for me to be the one to leave for a while. Find myself and all that. Do you understand?" He asked softly.

Mitchell nodded numbly. All he could think about was that Anders was leaving him because of what he'd done. And he hated himself for it.

"Mitchell!" Anders snapped, dragging the vampires' attention back to him. "It's only temporary and I'll be back before you know it. Promise me you won't try and run to England or do something stupid?" Mitchell nodded again causing the blond to huff, hissing in pain when he did so. "Promise me John!" He growled.

"I promise."

* * *

Anders had been gone for three weeks already, three of the slowest and longest weeks of Mitchell's life. He had half hoped Anders to be home a few days after Ty had helped him out the door of their broken apartment, but that hope had been dumped on the curb with the broken furniture.

They'd only had minimal contact, a few texts here and there, just asking how they were but no mention about when Anders thought he might come home. In their time apart Mitchell had gone back to work in order to take his mind off things, which to his surprise he found helped immensely. Ty had told him how Mike and Olaf had tracked Herrick and his men to the airport gates, only to find they'd missed them by mere minutes which had put Mike into a rage when he got back to the bar. Ty also told Mitchell that Anders was recovering, slowly but it was happening. He wouldn't wake screaming as often but it seemed as though there was something holding him back from moving past the nightmares completely.

* * *

Exactly one month after Anders had left Mitchell was beginning to lose hope that Anders wanted to get back together at all, and was in fact starting to look at tickets home when he received a simple text.

 _We need to talk. At home._

Mitchell clocked out early, claiming a family emergency and practically sprinted from the hospital to their flat. He flew up the stairs before pausing outside the door in an attempt to catch his breath, Ty had said that Anders still hadn't gotten over his nightmares and bursting through the door looking like a wild thing could set him back. Once his breathing had calmed he pushed on the door handle, noting that it opened with relief. Anders was here.

He walked inside and saw the man he loved sitting on the couch looking around the room. He shut the door, not too loudly but enough for the God to hear him and not freak out.

"I had to replace a few things." Mitchell said quietly in way of greeting, rubbing at the back of his neck in embarrassment. He'd tried to get furniture similar to the originals but it had proven difficult for some pieces.

Anders stood and turned to face him, a fond and warm smile on his face. "Some of them were pretty old anyway; this place has been in need of an upgrade for some time, gives me an excuse now." He walked towards Mitchell, his hand holding something delicately. When they were in front of each other Anders used his free hand to brush a stray curl from his face, grinning when it bounced back into place. "I've missed you" he whispered.

Mitchell leaned into the touch lightly. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming back." He admitted quietly.

Anders nodded, chewing on his bottom lip slightly. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, it's just -"

"The nightmares haven't stopped I know. Ty told me." Mitchell said, suppressing a grin at the annoyed look that crossed his lovers face.

"Ty told you huh? Bastard, I'll have to get him back for that. Anyway that's not why I'm here." Anders huffed in annoyance.

"Why are you here?" Mitchell asked hopefully.

Anders grinned, and oh how Mitchell had missed his smile. "I've come to give you this." Anders said, taking the vampires hand and placing a small ceramic cup into it.

Mitchell turned the tiny cup around in his hand, unsure of why Anders was still grinning. "I don't think I'll get more than a mouthful of tea from this." Mitchell said awkwardly, he really had no idea what it was for.

Anders rolled his eyes. "Hold it up to the light you egg." He waited until the vampire did as instructed. "Now tell me what you see."

Mitchell frowned at Anders before shrugging his shoulders. Turning the cup in the light with his fingers he looked closely, not sure what Anders wanted him to see. "It's blue? I see lots of lines?" He said in a questioning voice.

"Not lines, breaks." Anders said softly, plucking the cup out of Mitchell's slender fingers, not touching him once. He placed the cup on the table with a fond smile before taking the vampires hands in his own, running his thumbs over the tops.

"I met a guy yesterday about a contract and he deals with repairs and restoration of broken pottery, he showed me this cup and gave me the story behind why he does what he does, and why it's made his business so popular. Every cup that we buy off the shelf is flawless. Brand new, unblemished and nice to hold. But when someone drops that cup it shatters, the pieces being left to scatter where they fell and the owners have to pick up the broken pieces. But people bring their broken cups and he takes the pieces and turns the cup from something that was nice to something beautiful, because he believes every line has its own story and those lines make the cup stronger, harder to break."

Anders paused and watched the vampire intently.

"I don't understand Anders, what has that got to do with us?' Mitchell asked finally.

"We're that cup Mitchell." Anders said with a smile. "Our relationship at first was a brand new cup, it was nice and it was normal. Then Herrick went and drugged you, and our cup shattered. We've slowly picked up the pieces and put our cup back together again. These lines represent our story, our struggle, and I finally understand now John, our cup has almost been put together but it can't be whole when we're apart. I love you John Mitchell, with everything I have and I don't want to be apart from you anymore."

Anders let out a gasp of surprise as Mitchell pulled him towards him, crashing their lips together and they both sighed at the contact.

"Don't leave me again." Mitchell begged between kisses.

"Never..." Anders moaned in reply as Mitchell ripped their clothes off and picked the god up, pushing his legs around his waist as he stumbled to the bedroom.

"I love you Anders Johnson."

"And I love you John Mitchell."


End file.
